The Real Story Behind Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty, the iconic white cat with a red bow, dots for eyes, and absent mouth that is mysteriously cute as hell. I used to be into Hello Kitty stuff big time when I was a kid (Hello Kitty stationary and pencil boxes ftw) and still buy Hello Kitty stuff from time to time even now.
If you think about it though it’s amazing that something can be so universally popular yet the average buyer of Hello Kitty merchandise doesn’t have a clue as to what it’s about or what the story behind it is.

 FIVE APPLES TALL

Hello Kitty first came into being in the 70′s when a then new company called Sanrio needed to come up with a merchandise mascot that would appeal to the preteen girl demographic.
They commissioned an artist to work on the project and she came up with a drawing of a white Japanese Bobtail cat that had a red bow in it’s hair and was wearing blue overalls. You can see the original Hello Kitty concept on the coin purse in the picture above, which was the first Hello Kitty product ever.
A whole back story for Hello Kitty was created, which is basically this:
Hello Kitty is actually a nickname for Kitty White, who is not Japanese but actually British and lives in London with her family.
She has a twin sister named Mimmy. The only way you can tell the two apart is by their bows, Hello Kitty wears a red bow and Mimmy wears a yellow one.
She is in the third grade but when school’s out she travels the world making new friends. She is bright, kind-hearted, and loves the outdoors.
Favorite food: apple pie. Favorite word: friendship (of course). Height: five apples tall. Had enough cute yet lol?
But why doesn’t she have a mouth?
  
HAPPY OR SAD TOGETHER

The Hello Kitty character was deliberately designed without a mouth because the lack of that visual cue makes it easier for people to project their own feelings on to the cartoon. Or as one author put it ‘the person can be happy or sad together with Hello Kitty’.
The irresistible vortex of cuteness that is Hello Kitty eventually built Sanrio a mutli-billion dollar empire that includes a wide range of products and even theme parks.
Hello Kitty has developed a highly devoted following around the world, even inspiring a new word to come into existence: kitira, it means someone who is a devoted follower of Hello Kitty. Ha take that, Devil.